A locally designed, developed and constructed rocket blasted off Jan. 31 in Hsinchu City, signaling Taiwan’s commitment to furthering its space technology capabilities.
Produced by Advanced Rocket Research Center based in National Chiao Tung University, the two-stage APPL-9C reached an altitude of 1 kilometer before deploying three chutes and splashing down in a Hsinchu wetland. The rocket, made from environmentally friendly materials, measures 2.7 meters in length, 15 centimeters in diameter and weighs 27 kilograms when fully fuelled.
Wu Jong-shinn, ARRC project co-leader and an NCTU mechanical engineering professor, said the launch is a test run for the multistage HTTP-3 hybrid rocket scheduled for launch later this year.
“The success of APPL-9C shows that our indigenous separation and ignition systems are ready for application on a larger scale. It also offers hope that HTTP-3 can reach an altitude of 100 kilometers and conduct experiments.”
According to Wu, rocket development requires cross-sector collaboration spanning such areas as electrical engineering, information communications technology and structural materials.
Given the challenges facing Taiwan’s manufacturing-oriented, high-tech sectors, “we believe ARRC can set an example and build Taiwan into a pacesetter when it comes to advanced technology,” Wu added.
Founded in April 2012 by around 40 faculty members and graduates students at six local tertiary institutions, ARRC is financed solely by research grants, private donations and crowdfunding.
